Tell HHS: Stop Cuts to Reproductive Health

For more than a decade, a small team of people at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention worked to issue national guidelines for clinicians on how to prescribe contraception safely for millions of women with underlying medical conditions — including heart disease, lupus, sickle cell disease, and obesity.

But the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC, fired those workers as part of the Trump administration's rapid downsizing of the federal workforce.

It also decimated the CDC's larger Division of Reproductive Health, where the team was housed — a move that clinicians, advocacy groups, and fired workers say will endanger the health of women and their babies.

The recent cuts to the CDC represent a devastating blow to reproductive healthcare access across the United States. These cuts have eliminated approximately 2,400 CDC employees—roughly 18% of its workforce—including critical specialists in reproductive health.

The elimination of the CDC's contraception guidelines team means that healthcare providers nationwide will lose access to evidence-based guidance on safely prescribing birth control for women with complex medical conditions. This specialized knowledge, developed over decades, cannot be easily replaced.

Without proper federal guidance, women with conditions like heart disease, diabetes, blood clotting disorders, and other serious medical issues face increased risks when accessing contraception. Healthcare providers will be forced to make decisions without the comprehensive, research-backed recommendations they've relied on for years.

The cuts disproportionately affect vulnerable populations who already face barriers to healthcare access, including women in rural areas, low-income communities, and those with limited access to specialized care.

Sign the petition to demand that the Department of Health and Human Services immediately restore full funding to the CDC's Division of Reproductive Health.